It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and if you’re a regular follower of this blog, you’ll know what that means. Time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) monthly post! If you’d like to learn more about this sometimes neurotic (but always fun) group of writers, click HERE to be directed to the IWSG site.
Today, I’m going to talk about celebrating our accomplishments. Like many insecure writers, I’m not very good at promoting myself. As a child, I was raised to be modest. I was taught that bragging was a Bad Thing and that people wouldn’t like me if I talked about myself. I’ll bet many of you were taught the same lesson growing up.
As authors, we’re put in a tough spot. We’re business owners. We have a product to sell. We have to tell people about our book and we have to give them a reason to want to read it. When we see other authors obnoxiously spamming on Twitter, telling others their book is the best piece of literature of our time, we roll our eyes and snuggle deeper into our introverted shells. We don’t want to be THAT person, even if it means not selling many books.
I released my fifth book on Friday. As part of my “promotion,” I tweeted about it twice, blogged about it once, and posted something on my Facebook page. Then I sat back and felt neglected because my family and friends didn’t care about my new book. Gee, I wonder why. Maybe it’s because I didn’t tell them?
With each new release, my family has become less excited about my books. So have I. Promotion is difficult and uncomfortable, so instead of killing myself with blog tours and begging for reviews with my last two releases, I just hit the “publish” button on Kindle, tossed a couple of posts on social media, and got to work on the next book.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I should be CELEBRATING every book release! Celebrating is different from marketing and promotion. Celebrating isn’t bragging–it’s sharing. I’m excited about my newest book, and if my family and friends care about me, they’ll want to share in my excitement. Not everyone will necessarily read it or buy it, but a “like” on a Facebook post or a congratulatory phone call is all I need to put me in a celebratory mood.
Writing a novel is a huge accomplishment. It deserves more than a lackluster blog post and a vague Tweet. With my first book, I celebrated every step on my journey, from finishing the first draft to holding my paperback for the first time. There were pictures, Facebook events, and parties. I need to rediscover that feeling of accomplishment and feeling of pure joy, even if I’m the only person celebrating.
When my friend, Greg, published his first novel, I shared the following video on his Facebook page. So, insecure writers, this song is dedicated to all of you. Celebrate your accomplishments. Whether you’re halfway through your first novel, or you’ve published twenty books, let’s celebrate your awesomeness. You’re a writer, dammit. That’s something to celebrate!
All I Have to Say 
Hi Tricia,
I think that you should TOTALLY celebrate the release of your novel! Last Friday? Congrats! You should definitely be contacting reviewers and trying to get the word out about your novel (or pay someone to organize a blog tour for you). It’s definitely not too late. Don’t ever be afraid to put yourself out there and toot your own horn (or pay others to toot it for you, lol).
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You’re absolutely right. I need to organize a blog tour and let someone else spread the word about my book. I think it’s worth the cost.
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Thank you Tricia! I’m the same way although still on my first book. This really describes my feelings too
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Reblogged this on Sophie E Tallis and commented:
I couldn’t have put it better! Brilliant advice for all insecure writers out there! 😀
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I think celebrate is the right frame of mind. I’ve finished a 4 book series but I’m so exhausted that I can’t drum up any more marking chutzpah so I’ll probably get on with writing the next one now and have another go at about Christmas.
Cheers
MTM
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Let’s celebrate your accomplishments with every single book you publish… and do the same for each of us too! We deserve the attention after all of the long hours put into our writing projects!
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You’re right! Whether it’s publishing a novel, writing a poem, or posting on your blog, you should celebrate each and every accomplishment.
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Congratulations!
You should be celebrating.
Promoting is hard. I don’t like to promote myself. I’ve found it’s easier to enlist the help of others. Someone else shouting about your book is more effective.
Sorry so late… Lots of IWSG posts today.
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I know what you mean about the excitement dying down each time. We feel like we don’t want to bother people by going on about our latest book/story. Enjoy a glass of champagne to celebrate your achievement, which is a great one by the way, and keep going.
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We should celebrate every release, but like you promotion is the thorn.
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Yes! You make a great point about celebrating/sharing vs. promoting. We should celebrate and share!
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Reblogged this on Of Words and Writing and commented:
I read this just before driving home this evening. Then my son called about halfway home, asking if he could go to the library. I felt a little courageous and asked him to find my flyer and bookmarks and bring them with, and I’d meet him there. I talked to the front desk woman about posting it on their bulletin board, and she asked if I was local. When I replied yes, she asked if they could get my book in stock, as they like to promote local authors. Yay for me! I smiled the whole way home, even though nothing’s really happened. Yet. Grabbed an open Mic night flyer on my way out, too! Use that ray of extrovert-courage while it’s there! Think I need this Insecure Writer’s Support Group in my life. Read Tricia’s post if you haven’t already……
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Thank you so much for reblogging this! Insecure Writers Support Group is wonderful. Every writer needs IWSG. Congratulations on the progress you’ve made. I haven’t had the courage to approach my local library or bookstores. You’ve inspired me to break out of my shell. We’ve written books, for crying out loud. Not only should we celebrate, we should tell the world!
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Which is the scariest thing in the world to do! The independant bookstores is next on my list. It’s going to take a little bit longer to build up that courage. I so wanted to show off my recent interview at work today, but I just couldn’t do it. Was a wonderful surprise to see this morning. Baby steps.
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Your post gave me a little courage today 🙂 It reminded me that everything is a celebration, little steps as well as big events. Just reblogged.
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I know how you feel about promotion. It doesn’t come easy for introverts, especially insecure ones. 😉 It just seems so…in your face. Look at me! Aren’t I fabulous?! But, don’t worry. That’s not you, Tricia. It’s the authors that spam you with their OWN assessment of their work that I find irritating. An author should provide the logline that sparks reader interest without all that “my novel is the greatest one you’ll ever read” crap. If it’s good, glowing recommendations will come from OTHERS.
Try not to think of it as promoting yourself, but rather, promoting your story. The story that kept you up late, woke you up early, and maybe drove you a little mad at times. It consumed your life for months, maybe even years. It wanted to be told by YOU. And now, it deserves to be read by others, don’t you think?
Celebrate, girlfriend! And let me know when you want to do the book blog tour. I would love to help promote your book!
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Thanks, Melissa! I will definitely let you know when I plan to do a blog tour.
I love what you said about promoting your story instead of yourself. That does make a huge difference. And so does having an intriguing log line instead of a glowing self-assessment.
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